Sheet delivery mechanism



Oct. 6, 1953 J. w. CLAY SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 16, 1951 ATTORNEYS kw mui w AI- soeoeoooooooaAoouo. \m. .mW im- Nm QXL# Qwh..

J. W. CLAY SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Rill Y Oct. 6, 1953 Fi1ed March 16, 1951 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS v v m i@ QN @A Sw mwN Oct- 6, 1953 J. w. CLAY SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1951 Oct. 6, 1953 J. w. CLAY 2,654,604

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM Filed March 16, 1951 v 4 sheets-Sheet 4 ATTQRNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1953 SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM John W. Clay, Winston-Salem, N. C., assigner to American Tyne Founders, Inc., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 16, 1951, Serial No. 216,010

Claims.

This invention relates to sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses or other sheet treating or handling machines, and has more particularly to do with the eicient and facile transfer of sheets from reciprocating delivery grippers to a receiving surface such as, for example, a tape conveyor.

The broad objective of the invention is to provide a novel and improved sheet transfer means of this general class, and the principles of the invention may be embodied in a wide variety of devices including printing presses of a number of different types. However, the invention has especial adaptability and application to presses of the reciprocating bed and rotary cylinder type, and it is illustrated and described herein as incorporated in that type of press.

One very compact and eilicient job press to which the invention has been applied includes a set of horizontally reciprocating grippers which seizes the printed sheets from the cylinder grippers, pulls them along in substantially horizontal position, and releases them at the farther end of its travel whereupon they are allowed to fall upon a reciprocating tape conveyor. The tape conveyor frame is mounted for oscillation in a horizontal plane to and from positions adjacent the point of release of the sheets from the delivery grippers and the point of discharge of the sheets upon the delivery pile board.

In order to prolong the time of transfer of the sheets from the cylinder to the delivery pile so that the ink may set-in the average run of work-without the use or heaters or anti-oiset sprays, it is arranged to accommodate two sheets at a time upon the tape conveyor. When the tape conveyor is at the end of its travel toward the press cylinder in position to receive a sheet from the delivery grippers, the sheet is deposited upon the half of the conveyor nearer the cylinder, and then the tape conveyor frame is moved bodily away from the cylinder and to a position above the delivery pile with the tapes idle. At the beginning of the return movement the tape rollers are clutched to the driving means and the tapes move in the direction toward the delivery pile at about the same linear speed as that of the conveyor frame in the opposite direction; thus the conveyor device as a whole is in effect quickly withdrawn from beneath a sheet occupying the forward half oi the tape conveyor, and the sheetleft in mid-air, so to speak-settles upon the top of the delivery pile. By the time the tape conveyor-with the tapes active-has again reached the end of its travel beneath the delivery 2 grippers, the movement of the tapes has resulted in the conveyor being displaced with respect to that sheet by about one-half the length of the conveyor, so that the sheet then occupies the forward portion of the conveyor and the rearward half is ready to receive another sheet from the delivery grippers.

The range of capacity of a press of this type is from say 2500 to 4000 impressions per hour, and at such speeds of operation, means must be provided not only to ensure that the successive sheets stay on the tape conveyor when the tapes are idle and move with the tapes when they are active, but also to ensure a rapid and positive deposit of sheets onto the conveyor at the moment they are released from the delivery grippers. The latter qualification is important both in order to provide that the newly deposited sheet is properly disposed upon the conveyor with respect to the preceding sheet which then occupies the forward position thereon, and also to make certain that the sheet descends upon the tapes quickly enough to avoid collision with the returning delivery grippers.

The present invention alfords quite adequate solutions to these problems, whether they manifest themselves in connection with the delivery of sheets of normal or average gauge or in connection with the more diflicult delivery of sheets of onion-skin thickness. Expressed in its broadest terms, this solution involves the provision of positively acting means adapted to be moved into Contact with or to strike the sheet as soon as the latter has been freed from the initial conveying means, in order to force the sheet to move toward the second conveying means.

In its preferred embodiments, the invention contemplates the provision of a series of ducking stripper :lingers carried by the tape frame and adapted to be tripped by contact with the delivery gripper assembly to positively move the sheets downwardly upon the tapes immediately upon release of the grippers. The use of suction boxes in conjunction with perforated tapes on the conveyor frame greatly improves the accurate and rapid handling of sheets of average thickness, but the novel pivoted positively acting stripper devices provided by the present invention may be used effectively in lieu of the suction feature for the delivery of conventional sheets, or in conjunction with the suction provisions in the case of the more diicult handling of onion-skin papers. In the latter case, the improved stripper ingers Whip the thin sheets down to positions within the zone of action of the vacuum most efliciently and the sheets are quickly removed from the path of the delivery grippers and caused to adhere to the tapes in proper register and Without damage.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the delivery portion of a printing press embodying the principles of the invention, portions of the mechanism being broken away and other portions omitted for the sake of clearness of illustration;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary View in vertical longitudinal section through the press, certain parts including the tape frame and associated gearing being shown in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a detail view in longitudinal section through the tape conveyor frame;

VFigure 4 is a fragmentary somewhat diagrammatic view in vertical longitudinal section showing relative positions of the delivery grippers and the strippers at one stage of the delivery movement;

Figure 5 is a similar View showing the same elements in other relative positions;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional View taken on line 6--5 of Figure 1;

Figures '7-11 inclusive are diagrams showing the relative positions of the impression cylinder, type bed, delivery pile, delivery grippers, tape conveyor, and ducking strippers at different stages during the cycles of operation;

Figures 12 and 13 are fragmentary vertical sectional views showing in two successive positions of operation, an alternative form of stripper device coming within the purview of the invention; and

Figure 14 is a plan view of the stripper shown in Figures 12 and 13.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 2 and 'Z-ll inclusive of the drawings, it will be seen that the press selected for illustrative purposes comprises a supporting frame indicated generally by the numeral l, a type bed Il adapted to reciprocate horizontally in suitable guides formed on the frame, and an impression cylinder l2 to which sheets are fed along the feed board I3.

The impression cylinder l2 is provided with the usual impression cylinder gear i2 which meshes with the type bed rack i5.

The press may be driven from a suitable source of power through an oscillating cross-head and operating linkage of which only the multiplier link il is shown. A connecting link I3 transmits the substantially simple harmonic motion from the link i7 to the type bed Il.

The printed sheets are adapted to be delivered from the impression cylinder l2 to the delivery pile 23, and to accomplish this purpose the horizontally reciprocating delivery grippers 22 and a delivery tape conveyor 25 are provided, the delivery grippers 22 being carried by the type bed Il and the tape conveyor 25 adapted to reciprocate in alternation with the delivery grippers 22 in its movement to and from the delivery pile 20. The means for and manner of operating these various parts in proper synchronism will be understood as the description proceeds.

A pair of posts or brackets 2'! are rigidly carried by the left-hand end of the type bed Il, one upon either side of the bed, and a transverse gripper rock shaft 30 is supported by these posts 4 21. By reference to Figure 1 it will be understood that the gripper devices 22 are iixed to the gripper shaft 30 at intervals therealong. Also fixed to the shaft 30 are one or more cylinder stripper fingers 3|.

The delivery gripper devices and the cylinder stripper fingers are not in themselves a part of the present invention, any type of conventional or known arrangement being satisfactory for present purposes; therefore, the details of these members need not be described. It will be sufficient to state that the delivery grippers comprise a lower nger 32 which is fixed relatively to the shaft 3Q and a spring loaded movable nger 33 which is adapted to cooperate with the fixed finger to grasp the sheets. The movable finger 33 is adapted to be urged toward the fixed finger 32 by means of the spring arrangement indicated at 34, and the movable fingers 33 are adapted to be rocked about their pivots by means of the projections 35 carried by the operating shaft 36 pivctally mounted in brackets 3'1 associated with the main delivery gripper shaft 3G. These projections 35 are adapted to depress the tail of the movable fingers 33 to raise the forward ends thereof and open the grippers to release a sheet.

The delivery gripper assembly, carried by the shaft 30, is provided with latching means and triggers which are not shown in the drawings and which may be of conventional or any suitable design. Those skilled in the art will recognize these provisions readily when it is stated that as the gripper assembly approaches the impression cylinder l2 certain stop means carried by the fixed parts of the press cause the gripper members 22 to tilt slightly so that the fixed lower fingers 32 are directed under the edge of the sheet carried by the cylinder whereupon the upper finger 33 is permitted to close upon the sheet by the rocking of the shaft 36 and the release of pressure upon the rear end thereof by the projections 35. Then, upon approaching the left-hand or delivery end of their travel, the delivery grippers 22 are actuated by other stop means on a relatively stationary portion of the press to open and release their grip upon the sheets. This is accomplished by the rotation of the actuating shaft 35 in the opposite direction in order to cause the projections 35 to bear upon the tails of the movable gripper fingers 33 and thus cause the forward ends thereof to rise. This release of the sheets is timed to occur when the sheets carried by the delivery grippers 22 are above the lefthand half of the tape conveyor 25, the grippers being shown in approximately such position in Figures l, 2, '7, 9, and 11 of the drawings.

The delivery tape conveyor arrangement will now be described with particular reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. First of all, it should be explained that the tape conveyor assembly is adapted for ready removal from the press since it occupies a position directly above the inking mechanism, at least in the embodiment selected for exemplary illustration herein. The tape delivery frame should always be raised during makeready or when adjusting the ink fountain. Therefore, the main portion of the tape delivery frame is constructed separately from the reciprocating or sliding base frame which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 40, this base frame being slidable upon the fixed bar 4I by means of gibs, two of which are shown at 42 in Figure 2 of the drawings. A pair of gears, the larger of the two being designated by the numeral 45 and the smaller by the numeral 46, are xed to each other and rotatably carried by the bracket lll supported suitably from the press frame It and xed with relation thereto. The larger gear 65 meshes with the teeth of the type bed rack l5 and the smalle:I gear 4B meshes with the teeth of a rack 158 carried by the sliding frame 40. Thus, the sliding base frame 55 is reciprocate-d in directions opposite to that of the movement of the type bed and through a shorter stroke, the path of movement of the frame l0 and thus of the type conveyor assembly being only suicient to bridge the interval between the point of release of the delivery grippers 22 and the delivery pile 29.

The guide bar M upon which the gibs 42 of the frame it are slidably mounted is formed with rack teeth upon its underside and these teeth are adapted to mesh with a gear 52 carried upon one end of a shaft 53 which is rotatably supported in the sliding frame 39. This gear 52 and stub shaft 53 are shown in Figure l of the drawings and at this point it will be convenient to note that they are concentric with the tape pulley shaft 55 shown in Figure 2. rThis alignment is also clearly indicated in Figure l of the drawings. It will be clearly realized that as the frame 4B is reciprocated through the transmission l5, 45, 46, 58, the gear 52 will roll in engagement with the xed rack 56 on the bar di, and the gear 52 and shaft 53 will thus rotate alternately in opposite directions as the frame reciprocates.

The removable portion of the tape conveyor assembly 25 is designated generally by the reference numeral 6@ and this portion, constituting the major part of the conveyor assembly, comprises the board or plate 52 being formed in a suitable way on its near edge 69, as viewed in Figure 1, with means for riding upon a suitable guide bracket at the adjacent side of the press frame similar to the guide rod @l upon which the base frame portion i9 rides at the far side of the press. Means for quickly removing the frame 60 from the base frame it may be of any suitable form, but in the present embodiment, the arrangement includes the provision of the notches in the remote edge of the frame, as Viewed in Figure l, within which clamping screws carried by the base frame i9 may be received, wing nuts being threaded upon the clamping screws to clamp the frame together. Locating pins and holes may be arranged in the meeting portions of the frames lit and 55 as suggested-at 56 and 61 in Figure 1 of the drawings.

The tape frame base plate 62 is provided with downwardly turned flanges 19 and 'H at the right and left-hand ends thereof respectively. Angle brackets 'I3 are secured to the iiange l@ at one end of the frame and these brackets are provided with bearing portions lli which rotatably support the driven tape shaft 55. This shaft carries a series of spaced pulleys 'i5 about which the tapes 'Il are trained. The forward bights of these endless tapes Ti are trained around the elongated roller 18 carried by the trunnions 'i9 rotatably supported in the adjustable brackets @t which may be secured to side flanges of the frame 5? as by means of the bolts and nuts 8 i. By a suitable adjustment of these brackets the tension on the tapes T1 may be regulated.

Suction means is preferably provided for ensuring adherence of the sheets to the tapes il and for this purpose all of the tapes, or a selected number 0f them, are provided with per- 6 forations 84. Suction boxes may be positioned beneath all of the tapes or, as in the illustrated example, beneath only the centrally disposed tapes of the series, these boxes being indicated at 85. In the drawings any suitable means may be provided for securing the boxes to the base plate 62 of the frame 60 and one suggested means is shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. The rearward portion of each box is provided with a hook 81 which engages a bracket 3B se'- cured to the rear flange 10 of the frame, and at the forward end of the vacuum box 95 a downwardly bent portion 89 is provided with a thumb screw 95 which is threaded through the portion 89 and abuts the forward flange 'Il of the frame.

The rearward end of each suction box is provided with a box-like depending duct 92 provided with a nipple 93 to which an air hose 9d may be attached. A manifold 95 extends transversely across the frame and is provided with suitable connections to a source of Vacuum. The manifold 95 is provided with as many nipples 96 as there are Vacuum boxes 85 and the forward end of each hose 94 is connected with one of these nipples.

The vacuum connections are preferably operative at all times when the press is in opera-tion but of course the tapes Vl do not run continuously. When they are in operation they are a1- ways driven in the direction of the arrow A in Figure l, but during the forward movement of the tape frame 59, which is a part of the conveyor assembly 25, the tapes are idle. In order to attain this intermittent drive of the tapes, the tape drive shaft 55 which is in alignment with the stub shaftl 53 carried by the base frame lt@ of the conveyor assembly 25, is adapted to be reieasably connected in driving relationship with this shaft. IThe assembly indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral Hit includes a manually releasable driving connection and an overrunning clutch. When the detachable frame 59 is applied to the sliding base frame 59 the casing portion iti of the assembly G is moved toward the shaft 53 and interlocked in driving relationship therewith. Between the casing isi and the axially disposed shaft 55 there is disposed an overrunning clutch which may be of any desired nature, either a sprag clutch or one provided with ball or roller bearings disposed upon inclined surfaces. The overrunning feature is such that whenever the conveyor assembly 25, including the base frame i5 and the removable frame t9, is moved toward the right in Figures l or 2, the rolling of the gear 52 in engagement with the rack teeth 55 of the stationary supporting bar Si would cause the tape shaft 55 to rotate in the clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2. I-iow ever, during this phase of the movement, the cverrunning clutch is in released position and no movement of the tapes ensues. On the other hand, during reverse movement of the conveyor frame, that is toward the right in Figures 1 and 2, 'the overrunning clutch it@ eiects engagement between the stub shaft 53 and the tape shaft 55 and during thislnovement the tape shaft rotates in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 2, and drives the tapes Vl in the direction of the arrow .A in Figure l, relatively to the conveyor 25. The conveyor 25, however, is at this time moving toward the right and the tapes have a substantiaily equal linear movement toward the left. Therefore, any sheets lying upon the tape conveyor will be given a relative move.

ment toward the left with respect to the @en veyor, but in relation to the fixed frame the conveyor itself will be moving from beneath the sheet as the conveyor frame recedes and the tapes are driven toward the left.

The complete operation of the basic device, ignoring the stripper fingers which form the principal feature of the present invention, will now be described in order that a complete understanding may be had of the general operation of the present sheet delivery.

Referring to Figures '7-11 of the drawings and more particularly to Figure 8, it will be seen that in this stage of the cycle of operations the type bed is at its extreme right-hand position beneath the impression cylinder I2 and Ithe delivery grippers 22 carried by the type bed are in position to receive a printed sheet from the impression cy-linder. At this point the tape delivery conveyor 25 is at its eX-treme left-hand position above the delivery pile Eil. In Figure '7 the type bed has moved tov-.fard its left-hand position and the tape conveyor has returned substantially to its right-hand position. At this point the delivery grippers 22 have been tripped to release the sheet S1 so that it may fail upon the rear or right-hand half of Ithe conveyor 25 and we shall assume that the sheet S1 is the first sheet to be removed from the press and placed upon the delivery pile board. Referring again to Figure 8 it will be seen that the conveyor 25 with the tapes idle has moved toward its left-hand position above the pile board with the tapes idle and the sheet S1 remaining upon the rear half of the conveyor. in the meantime, the type bed has returned to the right and gripper 22 is in position to receive the second sheet.

In Figure 9 the tape conveyor has returned to the right with the tapes l? running at about the same linear speed as the bodily movement of the conveyor. This serves to move the first sheet S1 to the forward half or left-hand portion of the conveyor. Sheet S2 has been carried by the grippers 22 from the impression cylinder and is about to be released and fall upon the rear half of the conveyor 25. In Figure lo the conveyor 25 has again moved toward the left and the delivery grippers 22 have moved back to the impression cylinder I2 to seize another sheet. During this movement of the tape conveyor 25 toward the left, both sheets S1 and S2 are moved bodily toward the left with the tapes idle. Then upon the next return movement of the conveyor 25 toward the right with the tapes moving toward the left the conveyor is, in effect, removed from beneath sheet S1 which, as indicated in Figure ll, is then free lto fall upon the delivery pile 2b. in the meantime, sheet S2 has been moved to the forward position on the conveyor and a third sheet S3 is about to be dropped upon the tapes.

Although the provision of the suction means improves the operation of the delivery greatly in causing the successive sheets to adhere to the tapes and be moved forwardly upon the conveyor 25 and then delivered off of the conveyor to the pile 2G, it has been found that some difficulty is experienced in quickly moving the sheets from the position indicated at S2 in Figure 9 when the delivery grippers 22 have just been released, downwardly to the tapes TI or within the zone of action of the suction boxes S5. This is especially true of very thin or onion-skin paper. The necessity for assuring a quick descent of the sheets into proper registering contact with the tapes is emphasized by the realization that 8 they must be moved out of the way of the returning grippers 22 to avoid damage. It is a particular object of the present invention to provide means for ensuring this prompt downward movement of the sheets and certain embodiments of these p-rovisions will now be described.

Vertical posts or brackets HD are provided on each side of the movable tape frame `[iii and supported for rocking movement in these posts is the stripper shaft H2. Stripper fingers ||5 are rigidly secured to the shaft ||2 as by means of the clamping brackets H6 which are adapted to receive set screws Hl. These ducking stripper fingers I 5 preferably alternate with the delivery grippers 22 when the tape frame and the grippers are in the relative position shown in Figure 1, the stripper ngers IIE extending beneath the gripper shaft 30 which bridges the tape conveyor. The shaft I I2 is normally urged in counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2 as by means of the coil spring I |8 which has one end abutting a pin H9 extending from one of the supporting posts I II), and its opposite end received within a recess |20 in the collar |2| which is rigidly Xed to the shaft I I2.

A bracket member |23 is pinned as at I2@ to the .shaft ||2 adjacent its remote end as viewed in Figure l and this bracket is provided with an offset arm |25 which extends alongside of the remote post I It and is provided with an adjustable abutment screw |26, one end of which is adapted to strike the post I IB and limit the counterclockwise rocking of the shaft I2 and thus determine the upper limit of movement of the stripper ngers H5.

The bracket |23 is provided with a slot |2 in one of its faces within which is disposed a cam bar i3@ which is provided with a forwardly eX- tending portion having a cam surface on the upper edge thereof as at ISI. The bar |30 may be retained within the notch or slot in the bracket |23 as by means of the screws |32 and the bar may be rigidly clamped in adjusted position with relation to the bracket |23 as by means of the thumb screw |35.

Upon the gripper shaft 3i) lthere is disposed a cam roller |38 which is held in proper position on the shaft 30 as by means of the collar |39. The cam roller |38 is in alignment with the cam bar |30 and is adapted to ride upon the upper cam surface |3I of that bar at certain points during the relative movement of the gripper assembly and the tape conveyor.

The cooperation of the ducking stripper arrangement and the delivery grippers will be clearly understood from `the following description in connection with the somewhat diagrammatic showings in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. In Figure 4 the parts are shown in their relative positions at the point where lthe delivery grippers 22 are latched to opened position to release the sheet, the position of the gripper shaft 3Q being indicated by the broken line L, It will be noted that the gripper shaft 3|) has at this time not reached the limit of its travel toward the left, this limit being indicated by the broken line M in this figure. `On the other hand, the tape frame 25 with its ducking stripper assembly has preferably reached its right-hand limit of movement. Upon release of the sheet S the gripper shaft 30 moves from the position L toward the position M and during this movement the cam roller |38 strikes the cam surface |3| of the cam bar I 3|) and due to the configuration of the surface I3| the bar |30 is suddenly moved downwardly, rock- Vsaisis-1,6015.

ing the stripper shaft ||2 in the clockwise direction and causing the ducking stripper fingers I to also swing downwardly. The forward ends of the stripper fingers l5 are provided with inclined surfaces H5' with which the edge of the sheet S engages at the point of release indicated in Figure 4 and the momentum of the sheet causes it to slide beneath the fingers ||5 so that when the fingers i l5 have moved downwardly as in Figure 5 they cause the front edge of the sheet to descend rapidly toward the tapes and of course well within the zone of action of the suction devices when the latter are employed. It will be recalled that in handling certain types of sheets and in operating at certain speeds, the suction boxes may not be necessary and the sheets will be properly positioned upon the tapes by the force of gravity aided by the novel ducking strippers 5. The cooperative timed action of the various parts is indicated very clearly in the diagrammatic .Figures 7-11 of the drawings.

An alternative embodiment of the ducking stripper arrangement is illustrated in Figures l2, 13, and 14 of the drawings in which the reference numeral 2 2 indicates the stripper shaft and the delivery gripper shaft is marked 230. In this case the stripper shaft 2|2 is fixed and not adapted to rock. Rigidly secured upon the shaft 2|2 at intervals therealong are the stripper members designated generally by the numeral 2 l5. These members include the rigid side arms 250 and 25| which are disposed in parallel spaced relationship transversely of the device. Pivotally mounted as at 253 between the arms 255 and 25| is the movable ducking stripper finger 255, this finger being urged in a counterclockwise direction around its pivot 253 by means of the spring 255 which is tensioned between the projections 257 and 258 `carried respectively by the hub 259 of the stripper assembly and the finger 255. A cross pin or bar 255 extending between the fingers 255 and 25| and in position to be engaged by the notched portion 262 limits the upward movement of the finger 255. In this embodiment each individual stripper finger 255 is provided with its own cam surface indicated at 265. In Figure the gripper shaft 23E is in the position which it occupies at the moment of release of the sheet by the delivery grippers. During its movement from the position shown in Figure 10 to the one indicated in Figure l1 the shaft 230 encounters the cam surface 255 and forces the stripper finger 255 downwardly against the tension of the spring 255 as shown in Figure ll. This causes the sheet S to be moved quickly downwardly toward the tapes and out of the way of the returning gripper assembly.

The configuration of the ends of the Various stripper ngers is of interest. The finger 25| is provided with a blunt vertical forward edge indicated at 26S. The opposite finger 25| is provided with an inclined forward edge 26'! beneath which the sheet S is guided just before its release from the delivery grippers. The forward edge of the movable finger 255 is provided with a still more inclined surface 268 and it is this surface which administers the final guiding contact to the forward edge of the sheet. The blunt edge 266 of the nger portion 25| may serve as a stop means to halt the momentum of the sheet as it is released by the delivery grippers and serve to act somewhat as a gauge to assist in determining the position of the sheet on the tape conveyor.

It will be understood that various changes and 10 modifications may be made in the embodiments illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as determined by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising delivery grippers for drawing successive sheets in a substantially horizontal plane from the machine, means for causing said delivery grippers to release said sheets at a predetermined point in their travel, while said grippers are above a point of deposit of said sheets, positively acting stripper means disposed adjacent said point of deposit and comprising a transverse rock shaft having at least one stripper tongue extending rearwardly therefrom toward the leading edge of the sheets, a cam surface rigid with said stripper tongue and adapted to be contacted and depressed by a portion of said gripper device at a point following the release of the sheet, whereby said stripper tongue is swung downwardly in contact with the sheet to propel the latter toward said point of deposit at a faster rate than would be afforded by the force of gravity alone.

2. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising delivery grippers for drawing successive sheets in a substantially horizontal plane from the machine, means for causing said delivery grippers to release said sheets at a predetermined point in their travel, while said grippers are above a point of deposit of said sheets, positively acting stripper means disposed adjacent said point of deposit and comprising a transverse rock shaft having stripper tongues fixed to said rock shaft at intervals therealong and extending toward the leading edge of the approaching sheets, a cam finger also fixed to said rock shaft and adapted to be contacted by a portion of said gripper device immediately upon release of a sheet whereby said shaft is rocked and said stripper tongues caused to swing downwardly in contact with the leading edge of the sheet to propel it toward said point of deposit.

3. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising delivery grippers for drawing successive sheets in a substantially horizontal plane from the machine, means for causing said delivery grppers to release said sheets at a predetermined point in their travel, while said grippers are above a point of deposit of said sheets, positively acting stripper means disposed adjacent said point of deposit and comprising a transverse rock shaft having stripper tongues fixed to said rock shaft at intervals therealong and extending toward the leading edge of the approaching sheets, a cam finger also fixed to said rock shaft and adapted to be contacted by a portion of said gripper device immediately upon release of a sheet whereby said shaft is rocked and said stripper tongues caused to swing downwardly in contact with the leading edge of the sheet to propel it toward said point of deposit, and spring means for urging said tongue upwardly toward retracted position in opposition to the described cam action.

al. `Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet han- "dcidai dling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising delivery grippers for drawing successive sheets in a substantially horizontal plane from the machine, means for causing said delivery grippers to release said sheets at a DTB- determined point in their travel, while said grippers are above a point of deposit of said sheets, positively acting stripper means disposed adjacent said point of deposit and comprising a transverse rock shaft having stripper tongue members extending rearwardly toward the approaching sheets, said kmembers comprising n xdtongues under which the leading edges of the sheets are adapted to be brought by the gripper device at approximately the point of release of said sheets, and movable tongues resiliently retracted into substantial alignment with said xed tongues and having cam surfaces adapted to be contacted by a portion of the gripper device at a point following the release of the sheet, whereby said movable tongue is swung downwardly relatively to said fixed tongue in order to propel the sheet downwardly toward said point of deposit.

5. Sheet delivery mechanism for'sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising a delivery gripper device adapted to reciprocate in a substantially horizontal plane to draw a sheet from the machine and return -for a succeeding sheet, means for causing said gripper device to release the sheet at a point near the end of its travel in the direction away from the machine, a horizontally reciprocating tape conveyor adapted to receive the successive sheets from said gripper device adjacent and below said point, means for reciprocating said tape conveyor between `said point and a point adjacent a delivery pile holder, a positively operable stripper device carried by said conveyor and disposed at the approximate level of said 'delivery gripper device, means for causing said stripper device to contact the leading edges of said vsheets and positively project them downward'ly onto the conveyor immediately upon their release by the gripper device, said last named ineans including a cam iixed relatively to ls'a'id stripper 'device and adapted to be contacted and moved by a portion of the gripper device to cause downward movement of the stripper device.

6. Sheet delivery lmechanism for sheet handling or treating',r machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising a delivery gripper device adapted to reciprocate in a substantially horizontal plane to draw a sheet from the machine and return for a succeeding sheet, means for causing said 'gripper device to release the sheet at a point near the end of 'its travel in the direction away from 'the machine, a horizontally reciprocating tape conveyor adapted to receive the successive sheets upon its rear portion from said gripper device adjacent and below said point, means for reciprocating said tape conveyor between said point and a point adjacent a delivery pile holder whereat the forward portion of said conveyor is disposed above said holder, a positively operable *stripper tongue carried by said conveyor and disposed at the approximate level of said delivery gripper device, means for causing said stripper tongue to contact the leading edges of said sheets and positively `project them downwardly onto the conveyor immediately upon their release bythe s i2 i gripper device, said last named means including a cam flied relatively to said stripper tongue and adapted to b contacted and moved by a portion ofthe gripper device to cause downward movement of the stripper tongue.

7. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising a delivery gripper device adapted to reciprocate in a substantially horizontal plane to draw a sheet from the machine and return for a succeeding sheet, means for causing said gripper device to release the sheet at a point near the end of its travel in the direction away from the machine, a horizontally reciprocating tape conveyor adapted to receive the successive sheets upon its rear portion from said gripper device adjacent and below said point, means for reciprocating said tape conveyor between said point and a point adjacent 'a delivery pile holder whereat the forward portion of said conveyor is disposed above said holder, a positively operable stripper tongue carried by said conveyor and disposed at the approximate level of said delivery gripper device, means for causing said stripper tongue to contact the leading edges of said sheets and positively project them downwardly onto the conveyor immediately upon their release by the gripper device, said last named means including a cam fixed relatively to said stripper tongue and adapted to be contacted and moved by a portion of the gripper device to cause downward movement of the stripper tongue, means for driving the tapes of said conveyor in a forward direction only upon rearward movement of the conveyor, whereupon during each rearward movement toward the gripper device a sheet is carried from the rear portion of the conveyor to the forward portion thereof and the preceding sheet occupying the forward portion is dropped upon the delivery pile holder.

8. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet han;- dling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising a delivery gripper device adapted to reciprocate in a substantially horizontal plane to draw a sheet from the machine and return for a succeeding sheet, means for causing said 'gripper device to release the sheet at a point near the end of its travel in the direction away from the machine, a Ahorizontally reciprocating tape conveyor vadapted to receive the successive sheets upon its rear portion from said gripper device adjacent and below said point, means for reciprocating said tape conveyor between said point vand a point adjacent a delivery pile holder whereat the forward portion of said conveyor is disposed above said holder, a positively operable 'stripper tongue carried by said conveyor and disposed at the approximate level of said delivery gripper device, means for causing said stripper tongue to contact'the leading edges of said sheets and positively project them downwardly onto the conveyor immediately upon their release by the gripper device, said last named means including a cam Afixed relatively to said stripper tongue and adapted 'to be contacted and moved by a portion of the ygripper device toV cause downward movement ofthe stripper tongue, and 'suction devices carried by said conveyor and operable through certain of the tapes thereon to ensure adherence of the sheets `to the tapes during operation, the positively operated stripper tong-ues serving to A'c'r'uckly proj ect the sheets "downwardly 'from said gripper devices into the zone of attraction of the suction tapes.

9. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising a delivery gripper device adapted to reciprocate in a substantially horizontal plane to draw a sheet from the machine and return for a succeeding sheet, means for causing said gripper device to release the sheet at a point near the end of its travel in the direction away from the machine, a positively movable stripper tongue disposed adjacent said point, means adapted to be actuated by said delivery gripper device itself for causing said stripper tongue to engage the leading edge of said sheet and positively propel it downwardly from said point of release during the remaining travel of the gripper device to the end of its movement in said direction, whereby the sheet is safely and rapidly displaced from the path of the gripper device before its return movement, said last named means comprising means rigidly connected with said stripper tongue and adapted to be contacted by said gripper -device near the end of its travel closely following the sheet release point.

10. Sheet delivery mechanism for sheet handling or treating machines such as high speed printing presses and the like, said mechanism comprising delivery grippers for drawing successive sheets in a substantially horizontal plane from the machine, means for causing said de livery grippers to release said sheets at a predetermined point in their travel, while said grippers are above a point of deposit of said sheets, positively acting stripper means disposed adjacent said point of deposit and comprising at least one stripper tongue extending rearwardly therefrom toward the leading edge of the sheets, a cam surface rigid with said stripper tongue and adapted to be contacted and depressed by a portion of said gripper device at a point following the release of the sheet, whereby said stripper tongue is swung downwardly in contact with the sheet to propel the latter toward said point of deposit at a faster rate than would be aorded by the force of gravity alone. 

